James McVinnie
Through his boundless approach to music making, his collaborations with a vast array of artists from many different walks of musical life, his innovative programming and captivating musicianship of the highest order, James McVinnie has carved out a unique career as an organist and keyboard player.
McVinnie has had major concerto and solo works written for him by Nico Muhly, Gabriella Smith, Tristan Perich, Tom Jenkinson/Squarepusher, artist Martin Creed, David Chalmin, David Lang, Richard Reed Parry, Bryce Dessner, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Darkstar, amongst many others.
He directs the James McVinnie Ensemble, a collective of virtuoso keyboardists dedicated to exploring work often preoccupied with political themes by contemporary and emerging composers. The ensemble’s roots go back to 2017 with a performance at London’s Barbican Centre of Music in Twelve Parts by Philip Glass—the only performance in the piece’s history given by anyone other than the Philip Glass Ensemble. New works by Gabriella Smith & inti figgis-vizueta are planned for the Ensemble in 2025 and beyond.
This season features solo and concerto appearances at Paris Philharmonie, BBC Proms, Tonhalle Zurich, Koncerthuset Copenhagen, Birmingham Town Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Big Ears Festival, Meyerson Symphony Center Dallas. He has just finished a year long residency at London’s Southbank Centre.
McVinnie’s discography includes solo albums on Bedroom Community Records, Warp Records, Orange Mountain Music & Naxos. Dreamcatcher, an album of contemporary American music featuring McVinnie on both organ & piano is released on Pentatone in January 2025, about which NPR writes: Dreamcatcher is a smartly curated album, where a thoughtful artist challenges us — with extraordinary results — to think of the pipe organ as an instrument of our time.’
Programme
Charles Stanford (1852-1924) Fantasia & Toccata
William Byrd (1504-1623) Fantasia in G Jehan Alain (1911-1940) Fantasmagorie De Grigny (1672-1703) Recit de Tierce en taille
J S Bach (1685-1750 from Art of Fugue BWV 1080
Contrapunctus V
Contrapunctus VII
Contrapunctus IX
Giles Swayne (b.1946) Riff Raff
Philip Glass (b.1937) Mad Rush